Antidote

What an arrogant attitude for someone who claims to be a slave! A bitter laugh escaped from me at my own contradictory demeanor. I looked at the young boy, clueless and confused, with his eyes darting around nervously. I remembered the time Lisbeth first brought this child before me, swaddled in baby clothes, and what she had said to me back then.“I hope this child will one day receive his knighthood from you.”And what had I replied?“He will, Lady of Glenberg.”But that will never happen.I will never again knight anyone.Because I…I turned away from Kirsten and ran. Perhaps I was running away from the reality I faced.Days passed after that, and I still hadn’t seen Lisbeth.It was a late afternoon with unusually strong winds. The fierce autumn gusts rattled the entire mansion. All afternoon, there was the noise of doors that hadn’t been properly closed creaking, and glass windows shaking.I was soothing Kirsten, who was being particularly fussy that day, when a young page burst into the room. The boy, no more than twelve or thirteen, had a pale face and lips cracked like the dry bed of the Kövisto River during drought. Clasping his hands together, he stammered in a trembling voice.“Madam Lisbeth is calling for you.”Even without the boy’s waxen face and shaking voice, I could sense the ominous atmosphere. I glanced briefly at Kirsten, whom I was still holding.“Did she ask for the young master too?”“Yes.”Carrying Kirsten in my arms, I followed the page.Lisbeth’s chamber was dim, with all the curtains drawn. The familiar scent of herbs and incense filled the room.The chamberlain and a few knights were already there, their faces heavy with sorrow. Sensing something was wrong, Kirsten tugged at my sleeve, and I gently set him down. The chamberlain approached me with a grave expression.“The mistress has summoned you. You may go in.”He placed a hand on Kirsten’s shoulder, who had been clinging tightly to my hand.“Young master, why don’t you stay with me for a moment?”Kirsten looked between the chamberlain and me before reluctantly letting go of my hand. I carefully opened the tightly shut door and stepped inside.The bedroom was filled with a light mist, as if from steam or fog. There was a bitter medicinal scent in the air. Several layers of thin, translucent curtains half-shrouded the bed, where Lister sat at her bedside.Lister was gripping Lisbeth’s frail hands tightly with both of his. He looked up as I entered, and our eyes met. His face was weary, his eyes heavy with sorrow. He stared at me for a moment before letting out a short breath.At the other end of the bed, an elderly mage stood, holding a long tube. Each time Lisbeth coughed, he carefully dripped a drop of medicine onto her parched lips.I immediately understood what was happening.Lisbeth turned her head toward me. Her lips twitched as she lifted her free arm, the one not held by Lister, and gestured for me to come closer.I slowly approached her. Lister let go of her hand and stepped back, rubbing his forehead as though he had been awake for three straight days.“You’ve come.”Lisbeth’s voice was fragile, like the chirping of a small bird.“Yes, I’m here.”I replied as calmly as I could, kneeling beside the bed and taking her hand.Lisbeth gently grasped my hand. Her deep green eyes looked up at me. I searched for the strength that once made her known as the finest knight of Karlac, but I found none.Lisbeth blinked, and as her eyelids lifted again, I saw the faint hue of death clouding her eyes.“Lisbeth, should I bring the children?”I asked cautiously, but she shook her head.“In a little while. Right now, there is something I…”She trailed off with a sigh.“I am sorry… for you.”“No, I’m always grateful. Grateful that you took me in, even defying the Duke of Karlac. That you never treated me like a slave…”“How could I ever treat you as a slave?”Lisbeth smiled softly at me.“I only regret… that there are still things I haven’t said to you…”Her voice slowed as her eyes dimmed.“Lisbeth?”I called her name, and she coughed several times. The mage stepped forward, dripping another drop of medicine onto her lips with the long tube. Lister rushed to her side, gently stroking her forehead and hair, his face panicked.“Sister, please hold on.”His voice, tight with emotion, called out to her again and again.But Lisbeth was already halfway gone. I staggered backward, letting go of her hand.The thick presence of death had already filled the room and surrounded the bed. The flickering flame of life in Lisbeth’s dulling eyes was burning its final spark.I stood there, watching the flame slowly fade. And in that dying flame, I remembered her as she once was.Her third childbirth had been a difficult one. Lister had been ready to summon any mage, even a sorcerer if necessary, but their father, the Lord of Glenberg, had blocked his way with a stern expression. He declared that any magic outside of Karlac’s was sorcery, and he would never allow such sorcery to be used on his daughter.That was when the rift between Lister and his father began. It was also when the once-strong Lisbeth began to wither like a dried flower.Who could have imagined? That the finest knight of Karlac, the wielder of the Sword of Steel, would lose her strength in the act of giving birth to just one child.What a bitter trade—a single child, yet to become anything, exchanged for Karlac’s greatest knight!Shuddering, I took another step back. Lister looked over at me, his eyes filled with tears.“Bring the children, Slan.”He whispered in a hoarse voice. I nodded and quickly left the room.The governess had already gathered the children just outside the bedroom. The little ones must have sensed what was happening because their faces were somber. My eyes were drawn to the youngest daughter. The child Lisbeth had exchanged her sword and, in the end, her life for stood there, sniffling, completely unaware of the situation. The governess’s face stiffened as she noticed my expression.“Please take them inside.”I asked quietly, and the governess nodded with a stern face before guiding the children into the bedroom.I stood there, staring blankly at the closed door. The chamberlain approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.“Do I not need to go in?”“No….”What right do I, a mere slave, have to stand by her deathbed?I weakly shook my head and stepped away from the bedroom door, walking to the farthest corner where the other servants and knights had gathered.The black flag was raised at dusk. Faint sobs leaked from the door, seeping into the hallway floor. The entrance to the residence was firmly shut. A deathly silence settled, and within that silence, people began moving quietly, their lips sealed. The knights, dressed in black, walked the halls with stone-like expressions. The servants, bearing the news of death, departed in all directions.With nothing else to do, I quietly returned to my room. I gazed out through the small window at the crimson sunset spreading beneath the castle walls, then shut the door. Unable to sleep, I stayed awake until the early hours, curling up on the bed before drifting off into a light slumber.It was a cold breeze that woke me, grazing my cheek like a fleeting touch, likely seeping in through the cracks in the door.I groggily sat up. Having fallen asleep without even covering myself, my body was cold. I rubbed my stiffened hands together and stepped off the bed. My eyelids were heavy, and when I rubbed the corners of my eyes, moisture seeped out. I wiped it away with my sleeve. The sand in the hourglass by the bed had all fallen to the bottom. I wiped the glass with my sleeve and flipped the hourglass over again.At that moment, I heard a small click. The sound was so faint I thought I had imagined it, but then the click

 repeated.The sound was coming from the door. I tilted my head in confusion, gripping the hourglass as I walked toward the door.Click!The sound came again.As I stood in front of the door, a faint whisper slipped through from the other side.“Lord Slan….”I recognized the voice immediately. I hurriedly grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. A figure in a black robe rushed inside.“Ida! Here….”Ida pushed back the hood of her robe slightly, looking up at me. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness like polished metal.“Lord Slan, we must go.”“What are you talking about? How did you get here? Did Lister summon you?”“No. Sir Jiyod sent me.”I inhaled sharply at her response.“What….”“There’s no time for this. It’s urgent. We must hurry before anyone notices.”Ida’s pale hand tightly grasped my wrist.“W-wait….”“There’s no time to explain. I’ll tell you everything later. Everyone is waiting. You must get out safely, Lord Slan, for the plan to proceed. So please, hurry!”She spoke in a hurried whisper, tugging me strongly. I staggered, bewildered, shaking my head.“What on earth are you talking about….”And then it happened.With a thunk, something gleaming pierced through her chest.Ida’s eyes met mine. Her hand pressed against my chest, and her shoulders shook violently. With a crack, whatever had impaled her chest was pulled out, retreating behind her.Her bloodless hands clutched my shoulders, and her lips moved as if whispering something, but I couldn’t hear it.Something hot trickled down to my feet.My breathing became erratic, and a headache surged.A large hand suddenly appeared from behind her, grabbing her shoulder and roughly shoving her aside. Ida’s body collapsed to the floor without resistance. Standing behind her was Lister, staring at me.I stumbled backward, eyes wide.Lister held a sword in one hand, its sharp blade dripping with blood.I covered my mouth with one hand, gasping. My heart felt like it was about to burst through my ribs.“W-what, what have you done?”I barely managed to get the words out.I looked between Lister’s cold face and Ida, lying on the floor.“Are you mad? She was a Karlac mage! She carried the Karlac sigil ring… and you’ve killed her!”“Shut up!”Lister bellowed.He roughly grabbed my arm with the hand that wasn’t holding the sword.“That mage was sent by him! Don’t you know she tampered with the medicine? I don’t know exactly what it did to you, but… damn it! There’s no time to explain! Come with me!”He yanked me violently. I panted, planting my feet to resist.“What madness is this? Lister, do you even know what you’ve done? You killed a Karlac mage! That’s treason against the Duke of Karlac!”“Ha!”Lister let out a sharp laugh.“Treason? Karlac mage? That woman was the traitor! She sided with that Ipsen bastard, sneaking into Karlac castle, spying, deceiving Glenberg with her tricks, and manipulating you!”“W-what?”“You didn’t know? Of course, you didn’t. No, you couldn’t have.”Lister stared at me with eyes gleaming with madness.A cold shiver ran down my spine, and my heart pounded furiously. I tried to calm myself, shaking my head.“What are you talking about? Are you insane? We’re in mourning. Lisbeth has only been gone for a few hours, and now there’s blood….”“That’s because she died!”Lister cut me off. His eyes were ablaze.“It was that Ipsen scum’s doing! I’m sure of it!”“Stop spouting baseless nonsense! If anyone hears this, they’ll put you on trial for treason!”“It’s not me who’ll face trial—it’s that bastard! Everyone knows he killed his half-brother and sister and framed the Second Head of the Triumvirate for treason!”“Have you lost your mind?!”My voice rose. My chest ached as my heart raced uncontrollably.Talking about treason… Lister must have gone mad to say something like that here, so loudly!“He’s trying to frame Glenberg for treason again! Waiting like a viper for Lisbeth to die! Even now, before we’ve even held a funeral! Her body isn’t even cold yet!”Lister was almost shouting.“That vile scum! How dare he wait like a snake for this moment, planning his next move!”“Shut up, Lister! You don’t have a shred of proof for any of this!”“Isn’t this mage trying to take you away proof enough?”Lister burst into laughter, stabbing Ida’s lifeless body on the ground with his sword. The blade pierced her leg, blood spurting, yet the body didn’t move. I gasped.“Don’t desecrate the dead!”“She’s just a traitor’s corpse now!”He violently grabbed my arm again, pulling me forward. I weakly stumbled after him, pushing at his chest, but he didn’t budge. His rough hand gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. Our eyes met, and I froze. He smirked as he spoke.“I figured I’d remind you, since your memory’s been a little hazy lately.”Lister continued, a sneer curling on his lips.“Who do you think is responsible for you ending up like this, living as a madman?”“W-what?”“You suddenly went mad and pushed your father down the stairs to his death? Ha! Ha ha ha! You believed that?”“What are you talking about?”A sticky sense of foreboding pooled around my ankles like thick tar.“Think carefully, Slan.”He whispered, his voice soft and repulsive, as he stroked my chin.“Why do you think your father was there on that particular day? How do you think your trial ended so quickly? Why was a room prepared for you in Helga’s Tower even before the trial concluded? Don’t you remember the coronation three years ago?”“I, I… I don’t remember…”My voice trembled uncontrollably.The headache intensified. Mad dwarves seemed to be pounding at my temples with hammers and chisels.Lister whispered slowly.“If you hadn’t been poisoned, you’d be the one sitting on the throne right now.”At that moment, my breath caught.A deafening roar echoed in my ears. The cacophony started at my eardrums and swept through my brain, turning my skull into a disordered mess.“Lies… Don’t lie!”“Who do you think poisoned you? The Duke of Karlac, who wasn’t even present at the time? Our loyal allies in Glenberg? Or the Duke of Inkery?”“I… I had many enemies. Any one of them could have…”“Right. You were always so cautious. So who could possibly bypass your guards and give you that poison?”“Lies!”“That slave poisoned you, turned you into a slave yourself, and now he’s trying to frame our house for treason, manipulating you once again! Why can’t you understand?”“That can’t be true!”I lashed out, shoving Lister away. He cursed under his breath and wrapped his arm around my waist.“I’ll ask him myself. I won’t believe it until I hear it from him directly…”“Damn it! Do you really think that bastard would admit to poisoning you?”“Let me go!”In my struggle, my hand scratched his cheek. A string of curses followed, and as I continued resisting, he raised his hand and slapped me across the face. A loud ringing reverberated through my head, shaking my eardrums. The strength left my fingers. The hourglass slipped from between my fingers, crashing to the floor in a flurry of shattered glass and spilled sand. My blurry gaze drifted over the shards and grains scattered across the floor. The fine layer of sand seemed like the scattered pieces of my broken memories, resembling the time I had lost.Lister grabbed my swaying shoulders, pulling me into his arms, and whispered harshly into my ear.“Behave yourself. You think I want to hit you? I told you we don’t have time for this. We need to get to Glenberg, now. That bastard’s army is already outside Karlac Castle…”“Not until… I ask him myself…”His grip tightened, and his hand struck me again. My head spun, and my legs gave way beneath me. Lister hoisted me over his shoulder. I tried to focus, to gather my strength, but my limbs wouldn’t obey. He bent down to retrieve the sword from the floor, still carrying me.He rushed down the hallway and pushed through the exit. Glenberg knights, bearing the family crest, awaited us. Even their faces looked distorted, as if viewed through raindrops on a windowpane.I felt like I was going to vomit.The headache was unbearable.My cheek throbbed from where he’d struck me, and blood dripped from my split lip.“The carriage…”“Madam Lisbeth’s coffin…”Words and phrases buzzed faintly around me, fading away.Everything felt distant, drifting further and further away.